


Rumors

by Feiredwjsy



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Fluff, Light Angst, M/M, One Shot, Temporarily Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2021-01-29 13:15:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21410785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Feiredwjsy/pseuds/Feiredwjsy
Summary: -They would've suspected the hell out of him. But, Hongjoong? He is just too soft.-
Relationships: Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 6
Kudos: 109





	Rumors

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone, I'm Pines!  
I'm new here, hope you'll like it!

Two weeks into the school year everything was going smoothly, in perfect tune with Hongjoong's expectations.

There wasn't really anything to be scared of, other than maybe the freshmen.

But, as he eyed the new kids in the Slytherin common room, he realized with a quiet, relieved sigh that they were completely harmless.

Well, the freshmen and Jeong Yunho. He had trouble even admitting to himself how strong an effect the younger Hufflepuff boy had on him, since the first time they shared a potion class and Yunho flushed from the vapor of his cauldron. The embarrassment he felt for his crush restrained him from telling anyone and made him feel even weaker.

It wasn't that well kept a secret, he had never been great at hiding his feelings, he just dealt with the snarky remarks his best friend, Seonghwa, occasionally threw at him.

Yunho never really acknowledged his existence anyway, so why bother?

He was always too busy planning new pranks and boycotting the consequent punishments to mind a quiet Slytherin.

Hongjoong snapped out of it just in time to dodge a frantic Jung Wooyoung running for his life in the corridor. The trouble trio must've done something bigger than usual, judging by Flich's angry voice, echoing after them.

Without paying much attention, the Slytherin went on his way, easily finding the Room of Requirement and settling in his usual spot.

He was way too busy for a seventh-year student, trying to balance out his magical studies at Hogwarts and his muggle studies on an online school.

The Ministry of Magic wanted to try and educate some wizards to the muggle's schooling system, in order to place them as muggle handlers once grown up and ready to face the non-magic working world.

There came many advantages with being the son to a Ministry higher up, or with being well known for his smarts, but becoming a "World Safety Plan Guinea Pig", as his friends called him, definitely wasn't one of them.

Completely taken by his laptop, with a 60-year-old man blasting through his earphones about some strange german guy with a weird taste regarding mustaches, Hongjoong jumped at the sound of the room's door being shut.

His eyes threatened to jump out of his face when he realized that in front of him was indeed standing Jeong Yunho, in all of his panting and disheveled glory.

Mouth left agape, the Slytherin could only blink wordlessly, not really ready to elaborate a decent sentence. Luckily, the younger spoke before the situation could turn more awkward.

\- I, uh, yeah. Sorry for the intrusion. And the noise. And me. Like, sorry for interrupting whatever you were doing. -

Slightly embarrassed, he started to comb his hair out of his red face.

But, before Hongjoong could trespond, Yunho continued

\- But I'm not going to leave anytime soon, I'm afraid. We screwed up big time, if they catch us we're dead. –

Hongjoong's eyebrows shot up his forehead, he didn't expect such a turn of events.

Basically locked up with his secret crush when he's supposed to be studying.

Again, just as he's going to open his mouth to say something, the Hufflepuff spoke before him.

\- I'm not going to be a bother thought, I promise! You won't even remember that I'm here.-

Now, it may have been because of the fact that Hongjoong was, indeed, very stressed for the work the Ministry put on his shoulders, very fazed by Yunho presence and kinda annoyed at the boy's tendency to talk over him, that his words came out harsher than he'd intended.

\- Do I even have a say in this? Like, can I speak or are you planning to go ahead with your little monologue?-

As soon as he saw Yunho's smile falter, Hongjoong cursed himself under his breath. Great move, really.

And again, just as he was going to apologize, Yunho started rambling about how sorry he was and how everyone always told him he talked way too much.

He finally shut his mouth after he noticed the Slytherin's tired appearance, realizing that, once again, he had interrupted him.

He whispered a last 'sorry', before disappearing from the older's view in complete silence, off to explore whatever the Room of Requirements had to offer this time around.

Hongjoong stood there dumbfounded, not being able to fully understand what just happened. The sound of a notification coming from his computer dragged him out from his daze, pulling him back on his studies.

Not even 20 minutes had passed when Yunho plopped himself besides him, bored and still endangered due to the Filch's yells that could occasionally be heard from outside.

He watched the boy type away on his laptop, wondering why a pure-blooded wizard would need a laptop in the first place.

Being muggle-born, he grew up with technology and video games, but just as he was sure of his amazing gaming skills, he knew for a fact that wizards families were unconcerned with such things.

He tried, he really did, to keep silent. But his big mouth and bubbling curiosity took the best of him.

\- You're Kim Hongjoong, right? Seventh year, Slytherin, right?-

He took the subtle nod of the older's head as a signal to go on

\- If you're a pure-blood, why do you have a laptop? I always had one, it's so old and full of viruses, probably because of all the games I downloaded and the movies I streamed...-

He went on for about half an hour, blabbering about his favorites video games and his go-to streaming sites, clutching his heart and fake crying when he started talking about that one time his favourite free (and illegal) streaming page was closed down.

Hongjoong was just half listening to his word vomit, letting the other's voice work as a (very sweet) ambiance music, trying his best to focus on his homework and not on the fact that he could smell Yunho's cologne .

When the Slytherin finished his task and returned completely his attention to the tall boy, he realized that Yunho was now talking about the big prank he, Mingi and Wooyoung played that day, aka the reason why they had been together for such a long time in the Room of Requirements.

He couldn't really catch the whole story, zooming in just to grasp that they somehow managed to turn Flich hair neon orange and Mrs Purr's fur to some blue and pink leopard pattern.

Once at the end of the story, having explained how this brought to a whole hour spent running from Flich himself and some stuck-up prefect and how he eventually lost his friends in the crowded corridors, he was basically crying from laughter.

Hongjoong couldn't help the giggle that left his mouth as well, Yunho's laugh being too contagious for his own good.

The Hufflepuff suddenly stopped, eyeing the older boy in front of him, to exclaim excitedly

\- So you were listening! And you know how to laugh, too! I thought your face was going to rip apart or something, from how much you frowned.-

Okay, so.

Hongjoong wasn't really the loud type, preferring being quiet and reserved.

He wouldn't call that being introverted, just more on the shy side. So at that he couldn't but flush in embarrassment, fighting the sudden urge to sink in the chair.

He managed to mumble out a

\- It's a habit of mine, I should probably fix it.-

before his cheeks were overwhelmed by a rush of blood.

Nice, blushing furiously for something that someone younger said. Very mature and manly.

He was sure as hell that he was making a fool out of himself.

But before he could try to contain his emotions, Yunho let out a barely audible

\- No, it's cute. But your smile is cuter.-

Then, as if a lightbulb lit up in his head, the Hufflepuff stood up from where he was seated, started to frantically look anywhere and spoke again

\- I, I should probably go check how Mingi and Wooyoung are doing. Thank you for putting up with me. See you around!-

In a second he was out of the door, leaving a breathless Hongjoong in a confused mess.

The following days were, well, weird.

As soon as Seonghwa met him later that day, he knew something was up.

Ears still red and eyes trailed to the floor. The ravenclaw guy was way too quick to notice that something happened to his friend and was just as quick to start teasing him endlessly. First he threatened him with all the blackmail he collected that one time they got drunk in the Observatory Tower, and then, after Hongjoong spilled the hottest tea of his life, he began teasing the living shit out of the poor guy.

No matter how much the tiny boy tired to fight back with some Yeosang-related jokes, he couldn't wash away the shit-eating grin resting on the blonde's face.

But then, something even more embarrassing happened.

Being a quiet guy and someone who always minded his own business, he was used to staying out of the spotlight. And he liked it. He was known for being one of the 'purest' pure-bloods, his father's fame preceding him, but his calm and collected personality quickly quieted the whispers down. He wasn't lonely, he had his friends and they were more than enough for him.

The thing is, when he walked in the Great Hall the morning after, his friends weren't the only ones waving at him to catch his attention. Mingi and Wooyoung's voices were loud enough to be heard all the way to Diagon Alley, calling his name and inviting him to sit with them.

He couldn't understand. Yunho was nowhere in sight and he took for a given that they had no other reasons to suddenly talk to him.

Every. Single. head in the room turned to look at him, everyone directing their curious and shocked eyes at his figure, whispers and pointing fingers.

He "wouldn't call that being introverted, just more on the shy side."? Forget that.

Well, fuck him, time for spontaneous combustion.

Terrified to say at least, he decided that he could survive the next few hours with an empty stomach, turning on his heels and escaping the pit of gossip the Hall had just turned into.

But luck obviously wasn't on his side.

Just as he walked past a changing stair he was met with no other than Yunho himself. He reacted the only way he could, still thinking about how Mingi and Wooyoung were totally making fun of him for his behaviour around the Hufflepuff the day before. He pretended not to notice his presence and went on with his escapade.

A few moments later Yunho entered the Great Hall, confusion clouding his sleepy eyes. He knew he had gone way too hard on Hongjoong, first with his endless flow of thoughts and then with that inappropriate compliment, but 1) he couldn't help himself and 2) he didn't think that something so trivial would result in the other blatantly ignoring him.

It didn't took long to understand what happened tough, his friends being as confused as he was

\- What really happened with Kim Hongjoong and why did he run away when we asked him to sit with us? -

Mingi was the first to speak, grabbing Yunho by his arm and tilting his head in a way that made him look more of an idiot than he already did. Wooyoung was quick to intervene

\- If you messed up with him, you're done for. This is not some Flich-kind of shit, his father is really high in the Ministry, you're screwed. -

Yunho could only stare at his dumb as fuck friends, wondering how he ended up with them. They were really saying that he was the one who screwed, when they were the ones screaming at Hongjoong in the Great Hall.

Fighting the instinct to slam his forehead in the greatest facepalm the universe had ever witnessed, he turned to face both of his friends.

\- I did nothing to Kim Hongjoong, you fuckers. You are the ones who are going to rot in Azkaban for yelling in a room with hundreds of students at such a shy bean. If you tried to pay more attention you'd know that he's not that fond of the spotlight you put on him just now. –

He expected them to be a little shaken, sorry even. He didn't expected such smug faces.

\- Shy bean, uh? - Started Wooyoung wiggling his eyebrows, soon followed by Mingi's

If we tried to pay more attention? You sure did, my dude. You sure did pay attention. -

He was done for.

Weeks passed and everyday Hongjoong felt his chest tighten.

Yunho began to notice him a lot more, waving at him and greeting him with a flashing smile every time they passed past each other's in the corridors, going as far as asking the older for some Potions notes and then finally admitting that he needed help in pretty much every subject. They'd often find each other in the Room of Requirements, one studying and the other evading some kind of punishment. Hongjoong couldn't do anything about the garden blooming in his chest whenever the door opened to reveal the boy, more often than not a giggling mess.

Many afternoons were spent like this, one gently typing away on his keyboard and the other rambling about anything that came to mind. It wouldn't have been a problem to Hongjoong, one could've said that it was what he'd always hoped for, hadn't it been for the rumors circulating in the castle.

People started to whisper about them, talking about their odd change in behaviors, coming up with stories and comments.

The most popular one wanted Yunho to be the cute but cunning muggle-born trying to have his way up in the Ministry through Hongjoong.

He heard this story one evening, he was heading to the Owlery, ready to pet every owl he could get his hands on and just eager to jump in his owl-cuddling soft hours.

He felt light and, somewhat, younger.

Sadly, all the happiness brought by the last days of lighthearted crushing on Yunho vanished once he heard those words.

Two voices, talking loudly over the chirping in the room.

\- I honestly didn't think that Yunho could think that far. I mean, he's always doing stupid shit with Mingi and Wooyoung. How did he even manage to get that close to Kim Hongjoong?-

A sigh

\- I don't know, dude. But you must agree that he's a genius. Snatching Hongjoong from his close friends and having his way with him. He obviously had to put some distance between Hongjoong and them. You know who I'm talking about, right? Park Seonghwa, Choi San, Kang Yeosang and Choi Jongho. They would've suspected the hell out of him. But, Hongjoong? He is just too soft.-

\- You think so?-

\- I know it. Last year I saw him helping some new kid feed Thestrals, he helps everyone and he's always taking care of everything that breathes. He acts all cold and mysterious because he knows that he can be easily hurt.-

The other person gasped, then he shot the final arrow .

\- Yunho is gonna hurt him so bad. How the fuck can he smile that wide and laugh that loud? He's a monster.-

Hongjoong felt heavy. His blood ran stone cold in his veins.

All the surrounding noises came to a stop, fading as he did the only thing he could think of: he ran.

His first instinct was to hide in the Room of Requirements, that was his space, his everyday hideout. But he quickly came to realize that it wasn't his hideout anymore, it was theirs. For weeks he let the boy sneak under his skin, he let him in his life and in the place were he felt the most at peace. They shared his safe place and just like that, it wasn't safe anymore.

In the span of five minutes he was in the slytherin common room, panting and desperate to get to his bed, face planting in the mattress as soon as he found it.

Jongho found him buried under too many blankets at dawn.

The older felt the bed dipping, the heavy body of his friend now weighing on his back

-Dude, please don't tell me you're also moping.-

Squirming for the weight, Hongjoong could only let out a breathy

-I'm not moping.-

before feeling his ribs crash.

\- Okay okay, I'm moping.-

Jongho hopped off the bed, opting for squatting near the headset, his sight perfectly aligned with his hyung's eyes.

\- So?-

Hongjoong sighed and, before he could turn into an emotional mess, he noticed a little detail in what the fellow Slytherin had said previously.

\- Also? Who else is feeling down? Did something happen?-

\- Nah, just normal things. Seonghwa and Yeosang argued because Yeo was being a dick, and just minutes ago Seong decided that chugging a whole bottle of Firewhisky because he's a drama queen would be a good idea. Also, all of this happened in the library, while San was busy scanning Jung Wooyoung's body and dwelling on the qualities of his ass. I mean, am I the only straight one here?-

The tiny boy rose from the mess his bed was and, once seated, he turned to his friend.

\- First, don't lie to me, I've seen how you're eyeing that kid, what was his name again? Oh, yeah, Lee Felix. You strip him with your eyes every time he steps in the Great Hall so, please, show San some respect. Second, Seonghwa and Yeosang should really just fuck. I bet they'd be a lot more relaxed afterwards.-

The next few seconds were spent with Jongho pretending to puke and demanding for a bottle of holy water.

Then, he returned dead serious, piercing eyes alting Hongjoong's movements.

\- Now that the funny shit is dealt with, tell me. What's bothering you?-

He smiled sleepily, chuckling on his own for his bad luck.

\- Nothing, Jongho. It's just stress, don't worry. -

He patted fondly the younger's head

\- And now, I'm pretty sure we should be in the Great Hall eating everything that can fit in our bodies, right?-

He tried his best, laughing with his friends and cracking a few jokes, managing to look less heartbroken and more tired. He also managed to avoid Yunho's gaze, not even sparing a glance in his way.

He knew that it wasn't true, he knew that Yunho was a lot better than what those words described him as and that his dreams had nothing to do with the Ministry.

But the others didn't. If he had tried to clear the other boy's image, nobody would've believed him. In their eyes he was the poor, deceived victim.

All he could do was put some distance between them, pretend to rewind time and go back to when they were just school mates, a seventh year Slytherin and a sixth year Hufflepuff.

This meant no waving in the hallway, no glancing in class, no tutoring, and no Room of Requirements.

Hongjoong felt his chest ache every time he had to stop himself from smiling back at the younger, every time his feet brought him in front of the Room of Requirements' entrance instead of the new working place he had set up in the slytherin common room.

Slowly, as days faded into weeks, people stopped whispering, the toxic conjectures quickly forgotten.

Everything went back to normal, as if nothing had ever happened.

The only evidence were their dull faces, their longing eyes and tired hearts.

Yunho was confused at first, the sudden change threw him off. Then he decided to believe his friends when they told him that Hongjoong was probably following his father's orders. A pure-blood mustn't be seen with a mere muggle born.

His first reaction was anger: Towards that man, towards Hongjoong and towards whoever said that purebloods had to preserve their status.

But then, seeing the sad eyes of the man he had grown to love, he started hating himself.

He wasn't worthy, he wasn't enough.

It had been foolish from the beginning to hope.

It was a Saturday afternoon, the air was icy in the streets of Hogsmeade. San and Wooyoung were walking side by side, hands brushing and noses buried in their scarves, maybe to shelter their faces from the cold or maybe to hide the increasing blush on their cheeks. San had finally worked up the courage to ask the fellow Gryffindor out and now he was on the verge of crying from how cute he looked submerged in a fluffy sweater.

The comfortable silence was broken by Wooyoung

\- We were thinking of throwing a party in the gryffindor common room tomorrow evening, what do you think? Would you come?-

San flashed him a dimpled smile

\- Sure! Are you celebrating something? Other than the fact that I finally asked you on a date?-

Wooyoung reddened in a concerning way, the tips of his ears on fire under the other's mischievous gaze. He stuttered something unintelligible before saying

\- Uh, no? Yunho has been kinda down lately, with all the things that happened with Hongjoong and his rejection. We wanted to cheer him up a bit.-

The older's brows furrowed deeply

\- Hongjoong, rejection? What are you talking about? Joong never rejected him.-

They stopped walking

\- Well, technically no. But he stopped talking to him all of a sudden and now Yunho thinks he's trash just because he's a muggleborn. It's sad though, Hongjoong has never striken me as someone who would judge someone based on their social status.-

\- That's because he's not. I think you misunderstood everything.-

Wooyoung tilted his head

\- How so?-

San got closer to him, lowering his voice

\- Did you the rumors that were circulating around them?-

After seeing the confusion into the boy's eyes he continued

\- People were saying that Yunho was using Hongjoong to get into the Ministry even though he's a muggleborn. Hongjoong obviously knew it wasn't true, but he also knew that nobody would believe them. So he decided to draw a line in order to stop those rumors.-

The mood was gloomy and Wooyoung let out a weak

\- did it work?-

San took the younger's hand in his

\- Yeah, but at what cost?-

Then, Wooyoung lit up, squeezing the hands that were holding his

\- You have to bring Hongjoong to the party, they have to talk it out! They can make up and tell everybody that it's not true! And what's up with Yunho in the Ministry? He wants to be a primary school teacher in the muggle world, what the fuck.-

His annoyed face was too cute too handle, so San just blurted out

\- Okay, I'll bring him tomorrow-

Before dragging him inside the nearest shop.

Talking about it with his friends went a lot smoother than he thought, they understood right away and gave him his space. Their affection and the load of work he had kept him too busy to feel lonely.

It worked most of the time, but nothing could help him during the night.

In the dark everything felt heavy and he couldn't stop thinking about the what ifs, about his presence and his smile. He hated that emptiness, the fact that before falling asleep all his thoughts were directed to that particular Hufflepuff and that those thoughts kept visiting him even in his dreams.

Warm dreams, in which they were happy and together, that would leave him even colder when he woke up.

He then started to work restlessly during the night too, until the exhaustion granted him a dreamless sleep.

Everyday Yunho was greeted with the sight of a more and more tired Hongjoong, pale face and dark circles under his eyes.

Everyday he felt his heart clench, worry and resignation fighting in his insides.

That sunday his friends managed to drag him to the table before he could take a look around the Great Hall, searching for him.

\- We're throwing a party in the common room tonight.- Stated Mingi, bouncing excitedly

\- And you'll come.- Finished Wooyoung, a huge grin on his lips.

Yunho sighed, combing his hair with his hand

\- It's not like I have a choice, do I?-

Their smiles grew wider

\- Absolutely not.-

Hongjoong was trapped against a wall by his friends, all four of them blocking him in the hallway. San started speaking first

-So, I was with Wooyoung yesterday...-

His words were quickly interrupted by his other friends and the following five minutes were spent teasing the poor guy, now reduced in a stuttering mess.

They only stopped when they noticed Hongjoong trying to sneak away.

Yeosang cleared his voice

\- As I was saying...- and then threw a meaningful glare to his boyfriend.

Seonghwa, who was quick to catch up

\- Yeah, there's a party in the gryffindor common room tonight and we think that you should come.-

The Slytherin scoffed

\- God no, Yunho is gonna be there for sure.-

Jungho's wit was quick to set to work

\- Why? He's not a Gryffindor and Wooyoung told San that they wanted to sneak into the kitchens to cook some new soup for Filch.-

The older squinted at the maknae, before giving up with a sigh

\- I'll think about it.-

'I'll think about it' didn't mean "become my stylists and makeup artists" to Hongjoong, but his friends didn't appear to be on the same page as him with this.

Yeosang and Seonghwa were arguing over a tiger printed shirt, the first stating that it was awful while the latter argued that it was the 'flyest' thing someone could ever wear, San was trying to see how many ponytails he could fit on Hongjoong's head and Jongho was brushing the tip of his nose with every make-up brush Seonghwa owned, testing which was the fluffiest.

\- Okay, okay. Everything is great, but how the fuck are we going to cover up the blue whales this motherfucker has under his eyes? –

Yeosang, the face of an angel, the manners of a grumpy rice cooker.

Three hours later, they were ready: clothed in skinny jeans and leather jackets

Lots of heads turned at their passage, girls swooning over Seonghwa's beauty and people gasping in surprise at this new, polished version of Hongjoong.

Jongho whispered in his ear

\- Told you some eye makeup would make you look hot. -

Hongjoong shook his head with an amused expression

\- I really need a drink. -

They were late, of course.

He now knew the truth, he know why Hongjoong was acting that way, but his self-consciousness was still burning him alive.

That night Yunho was feeling a new kind of insecure, rambling about how he felt like a potato sack even when his hair was perfectly parted on his forehead and his outfit proving just how much model material he was.

\- Yunho, for Merlin's ass, please get up. You look hot, there's no way those bored bastards are gonna keep up with those shitty rumors. Hongjoong should feel lucky just because of the fact that you're acknowledging his existence.-

Wooyoung gasped

\- Shit, Mingi.-

Yunho sighed, went to rub his eyes, but stopped in time to avoid ruining his make-up.

\- Let's get it over with.-

If a lot of heads had turned when Hongjoong had entered the room earlier that night, now everyone was gawking at them, not knowing how to react to the dramatic entrance of the trouble trio, all dressed up for once. Stunning.

Yunho felt his blood curl: gaping, whispering, rumors. Again.

He couldn't quite stop himself from blurting out

\- Like what you see?-

Just loud enough for everyone to hear over the music, just unexpected enough to stun the unwelcome audience.

Just as quick as they started gossiping, everyone went back to whatever they were doing, and Wooyoung and Mingi vanished in the sea of people. Yunho went to down a shot of only-Merlin-knows-what before moving on to roaming around the room.

It took him a while to spot Hongjoong, pressed against a younger boy on the dance floor, their bodies squished by the crowd of people moving to the beat.

He identified him as Choi Jongho, a Slytherin.

He'd never talked to him, but the sight of Hongjoong fisting at his shirt to steady himself, laughing with him, showing him that pretty smile he'd always worn in the Room of Requirements, filled Yunho's head with not-so-nice thoughts, the need to separate them and land a punch on the younger's delighted face too strong to ignore.

He marched taking big steps until he was right in front of his new rival.

When their eyes met, thought, he was greeted with a reaction far different from what he had imagined.

\- Oh! Hi! Took you long enough. Here, be careful, he's a little drunk.-

Jongho carefully unwrapped himself from the older's sloppy embrace, handing his manicured hands to the Hufflepuff's.

He then added, his eyes twinkling and with a mischievous smile.

\- Treat him well and don't do anything stupid, or i'll crush your skull like I do apples.-

Yunho produced a hopefully convincing smile, trying to avoid thinking about his bones breaking. Before he could answer, though, Jongho was already out of his sight.

A light giggle brought him back to the man in his arms.

\- You smell reaaaaaaly nice.-

Hongjoong slurred, nuzzling his face in the crook of his neck. Their height difference was just right for the Hufflepuff to rest his chin on the other's head, breath fanning over his skin, making him shiver.

Yunho thought he was ready for anything the night had to offer, but a cute, drunk version of the man he couldn't stop thinking about was too much for him.

\- I think we should get you back.-

As soon as the Slytherin heard those words he frowned, his lips pouting as he glanced up and said

\- No, I don't want to.-

The Hufflepuff tried his best not to giggle at the cuteness, asking the shorter boy why would he be so eager to stay

\- They're not gonna talk about us. If we stay here, no one is gonna mind us. If we leave together they'll start talking again.-

Now serious, Yunho let his eyes wander the room. Everyone was too focused on their own little stories to pay attention to the couple hiding in the crowd, the people dancing far too gone to notice them.

They were safe, shielded by a silent bubble that kept everything else away.

\- Okay then.-

Hongjoong sighed happily, resting his head on the other's chest and feeling his heartbeat increasing under his touch.

Time passed like this, just embracing each other, neither of them wanting that moment to pass.

Around two in the morning people started to return to their dorms, calling it a night and swaying in their drunken state.

A rush of sadness came over Hongjoong, who had started sobering up a while back.

\- I don't want tomorrow to come.-

Yunho looked down, brushing the strayed hair on the shorter's forehead.

\- Are you that scared of what's going to happen?-

The Slytherin straightened his posture, now looking into his eyes

\- I don't want the others to think that way of you, not when you're the opposite of what they say.-

\- And what if I don't care?-

His breath hitched in his throat and before he could say something, Yunho interrupted him.

\- They already talk about me, I don't mind being called a bad boy other than a troublemaker. And also, it sounds hot, right?-

Hongjoong widened his eyes

\- Oh, God. How did you end up in Hufflepuff? And you interrupted me, again.-

Yunho chuckled

\- A real bad boy, indeed.-

The Slytherin laughed, hitting the other with a light punch on his shoulder

\- Who do you want to fool? I saw you tripping over your own feet this morning.-

The Hufflepuff beamed

\- So you do watch me.-

\- You're all I see.-

The soft whisper was just loud enough for Yunho to catch, and for his heart to jump in his chest. He carefully reached out, trembling hands holding the other's face, his thumb brushing his blushing cheeks.

His words barely audible

-Can I kiss you?-

-Shit, they're so cute I might end up crying.-

-Oh, so you do have feelings.-

-I'm your boyfriend, Yeosang.-

-Yes, I'm aware, Seonghwa. Still.-

-You little piece of shit.-

Whispers did rise again, the latest stories weirder that the previous ones. And as everyone else kept talking, things kept moving.

The hottest tea of the castle became routine over time, the sight of Kim Hongjoong, seventh year Slytherin, and Jeong Yunho, sixth year Hufflepuff, holding hands in the hallways eventually became part of the students' routine.

San and Wooyoung stopped squeaking at the sight of the two of them cuddling after about three weeks, and Seonghwa started to gift Yeosang flowers every week once he learnt that Yunho was shipping muggle things to the castle every weekend just to give them to his starry eyed boyfriend.

Hogwarts moved onto the next rumor, and the next, and the next again.

That might have had to do with Jongho showing up at breakfast with his hand in Lee Felix's back pocket.

Needless to say, everyone went crazy.

**Author's Note:**

> [ feat. My Englsh speaker best friend. Luv u Bluebs.]  
More stories are yet to come!


End file.
